Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need

by Margot Leitman

Let go of the desire to control the audience

My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have the potential to be comic stories the next. —NORA EPHRON

life can be broken down into two categories: a good time or a good story.

Another aspect of perspective is what many people refer to as “voice.” It’s your view on a situation that makes it unique and interesting, not the situation itself.

I WAS HOT AND THIRSTY, THE PERSON STANDING NEXT TO ME IN LINE OFFERED ME A SIP OF HIS WATER, AND I THOUGHT __________

Another thing I like to do when telling a story is think about who I was at the time. This is hard, I know, but try to take away the adult/mature perspective that you surely have now (what, you still don’t consider yourself a mature adult?) and think about how you might have reacted then.

You might want to acknowledge anything that is obvious about you right away, so as not to distract from your story. Then move on.

By including your own spin on what people might be thinking, you’re adding drama and taking charge of the running conclusions, often incorrect, that your audience is already subconsciously making.

What makes your story a story that only you can tell is how clearly you define yourself as a character

commit to your story and vividly sell your memory.

The more specific you are, the more relatable you are. —JANEANE GAROFALO

Since you don’t have two hours, like a movie does, to tell your story, you have to nail your flat and round characters quickly.

It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book. —FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, philosopher and poet

We are flawed creatures, all of us. Some of us think that means we should fix our flaws. But get rid of my flaws and there would be no one left. —SARAH VOWELL

We root for underdogs, plain and simple. Be an underdog in your story

I’m interested in flawed protagonists. I was raised on them. —LAURA DERN, actress

Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst. —MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS

If you present yourself as flawless, we won’t be on board with you at the top of your piece, and there is often no turning back.

A nemesis can be a substance, like drugs or alcohol, or something you are allergic to but still love. A nemesis can also be an animal or pet, or a machine, like your car or computer. It can be something broad, such as technology or school, or superspecific, like a certain song or a town you frequently visit.

Don’t be afraid to let your shortcomings shine

Often, when students ask me how to end their stories, I tell them to go back and look at their very first sentence.

Full circles in your story can be magical, but don’t force a connection that isn’t there. That will turn your audience against you

The best stories tend to happen face-to-face.

Dramatic life events make the best stories when they unfold coincidentally. When a story is too perfect, it can come off as concocted

Forced full circles are disrespectful to your audience, who has invested time in your story.

Remember, don’t spell it out for us by saying, “It all came full circle when …” Let the full circle be a fun moment that ties your story together. Sometimes simply repeating or paraphrasing the beginning of your story does the trick.

I really haven’t had that exciting of a life … I’d rather tell a story about somebody else. —KURT COBAIN, musician

Every time you consider telling someone else’s tale, ask yourself these two questions: 1. Is there a personal story from my own life that will show the same thing? 2. Would I be comfortable with someone else telling this story about me if I were not there to tell it?

But I truly believe in storytelling as a way to connect with others. And remember, telling stories exclusively about other people’s lives can be seen as gossip.

Inner monologue shows the audience what you were thinking at the time of an event. It can turn a two-minute story into a ten-minute story. You can also use this technique when you are the star, by the way.

WAYS TO TRIGGER INNER MONOLOGUE WHEN TELLING SOMEONE ELSE’S STORY • Did you fantasize about how you would handle the situation you witnessed? • How did you justify the situation you saw before you? (For example, “When the man dressed as a pirate walked into the hotel, I thought, ‘It must be Halloween.’ Then I remembered I had just celebrated Thanksgiving and I thought, ‘It’s definitely not Halloween.’ ” • What was your opinion on what was happening? • Did you enjoy what happened before you or did have a negative reaction to what you saw? • Did you take sides? • Did you imagine an explanation so the events would make sense?

If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. —

The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street. —ROBERT DOISNEAU, photographer

If we know exactly where your story is headed, then why should we listen? Great stories throw us for a loop and take us somewhere we never anticipated.

Adding an element of the unexpected into your tale can really make it soar.

I have said this before, but I really mean it: trust the intelligence of your listeners.

They’re no dopes—they can figure out where your story is headed. So don’t tell a story that everyone predicts the ending of in the first minute.

What I loved about Joel, is you never knew what direction his story was taking, and he wasn’t afraid to go dark. He wasn’t seeking audience approval; he was sharing his truth.

The same goes for the unexpected in your story. We need to understand the facts of the situation first so the unexpected twist makes sense.

A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed. —TOM ROBBINS, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

BE AUTHENTIC Don’t be fake; we’ll see right through that.